Elijah Craig Barrel Proof C917 Review

Hannah’s Elijah Craig Barrel Proof C917 Review

Original review written on October 6, 2019

GENERAL DESCRIPTION:

One of my favorites of the limited releases from Elijah Craig. I am sad to report that it has poured its last Glencairn. Wet met, my friend. Would buy again IF ever found. 92/100

VITALS:
Elijah Craig Barrel Proof C917 Review

– Made in: Kentucky, USA
– Distiller: Heaven Hill Distillery
– Classification: Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey; Small Batch; Barrel Proof
– Age: 12 yrs.
– Mash Bill: Corn=78%; Malted Barley=12%; Rye=10%
– Casks: Barrel char #3
– Barrel Entry Proof: 125
– ABV: 65.5% (131 proof)
– Price: $59.95 USD in Idaho

Visit heavenhill.com for more information

ENJOYMENT METHOD:

I enjoyed the juice neat from a Glencairn glass with father and fellow Whiskey for the Ages reviewer, Brian.

Check out his review for this bourbon here!

SETTING:

This bourbon could very well be enjoyed at the end of a rodeo, mixed with all of the adrenaline, warmth, and excitement you’d find under the bright stadium lights surrounded by loud cheering.

Photo by Gilles Rolland-Monnet on Unsplash

NOSE:

The first whiff is surprisingly not an overbearing alcohol, despite this bourbon being such a high proof. But don’t get over-confident; you could get hurt. A very yeasty, dark bread greets the nose with lighter fruits sitting just behind. A deeper, cautious inhale allows graham crackers, brown sugar, and oak to emerge.

PALATE:

– Mouth feel: Full and rich – crazy warm
– Balance: Complex
– Visual: Mahogany in color with a clinging circle of crown. The legs are quick to run off.

– Taste: While negotiable on the nose, the alcohol demands to be acknowledged and respected. The oak, somewhat sweet in taste, blooms after a moment and is incredibly warming. Cloves and other savory spices manage to somehow both be subtle on the palate as well as sinus-clearing.

Other leathery tones make you want to bite down hard for Kentucky chew. And a warm, salted-caramel can be found if you really dedicate yourself to that Kentucky chew risk.

This doesn’t coax a lot of fruit, but if you squint, a green grape may make a cameo appearance for a second.

The overall warmth of this is really overpowering, but boy is it enjoyable.

FINISH:

– Lasting power: Very long and you get more depth and feel as you go. The warmth settles deep in the chest and radiates up and through the body. What a happy feel.

– No More: Spicy oak permeates the empty glass and gives you all the warmth you could ever look for. One feels as though they want to find a C917 stave to snuggle into.

COMPARISON NOTES:

I experimented with this bourbon a bit, pitting it up against other tri-annual iterations of Barrel Proof batches: A118 and B518. I found this one to be my favorite.

Elijah Craig Barrel Proof C917 Review
WORTH THE PRICE?

Yes

RATING: 92/100

Click to see Hannah’s rating process

Click 92/100 to access other whiskeys with this rating.
To access other whiskies from this brand, click Elijah Craig.

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Dry Fly Bourbon 101 Review

Hannah’s Dry Fly Bourbon 101 Review

Original review written on October 23, 2019

GENERAL DESCRIPTION:

While not unfamiliar with this distillery from Idaho’s neighbor state, Washington, this spirit has succeeded in capturing my attention with its steady, good performances. Dry Fly is most definitely on my radar now. 89/100

VITALS:
Dry Fly Bourbon 101 Review

– Made in: Washington, USA
– Distiller: Dry Fly Distilling
– Classification: Straight Washington Bourbon Whiskey
– Age: 4 yrs. in new 53-gallon oak barrels
– Mash Bill: Corn=55%; Triticale=45% (triticale is a wheat/rye hybrid, first bred during the late 1800s in German and Scottish laboratories)
– Casks: undisclosed char
– Barrel Entry Proof: undisclosed
– ABV: 50.5% (101 proof)
– Price: $39.95 USD in Idaho

Visit dryflydistilling.com for more information

ENJOYMENT METHOD:

I enjoyed the juice neat from a Glencairn glass with father and fellow Whiskey for the Ages reviewer, Brian.

Check out his review for this bourbon here!

SETTING:

As a simple-tasting bourbon, I don’t think the setting needs to be too complex either. Still poignant, however, this is a phenomenal drink to have at the bar with a multitude of friends. Don’t think too much about the drink, but more about the laughs and smiles of great company in a cozy atmosphere. You’re blessed.

Photo by Patrick Tomasso on Unsplash

NOSE:

The first scents that erupt from the glass are earthy in nature, with oak, hay, and rich damp soil taking point. The alcohol is not overly aggressive, making deep breaths from the Glencairn not too dangerous. Further nosing coaxes fresh apples, graham cracks, or perhaps maple syrup. Overall, very nice. Not explosive or particularly warming, but comforting and calming all the same.

PALATE:
Dry Fly Bourbon 101 Review

– Mouth feel: Fresh with a bit of grit.
– Balance: Good balance – maybe a touch spice forward, but not in a bad way.
– Visual: Tawny with a clinging crown with fast dropping legs.

– Taste: This spirit offers particularly bright flavors that mix very nicely with the alcohol burn, almost as though alcohol is meant to function as a key component for flavor. It is not overly complex, but still very nice. A greater statement with black pepper is made after a time, which eventually gives way to seasoned oak and toasted pecans.

I feel as though there is citrus element between sips, maybe blood orange?

A Kentucky chew brings the blood orange a lot more forward to mix with a newfound vanilla custard.

Overall, a solid bourbon on taste that is gently warming. Great value!

FINISH:

– Lasting power: Fairly long finish that I wouldn’t have expected from a fresh-tasting bourbon. The warmth sits in the mouth especially, but there is still a warmth that just lingers down into the chest.

– No More: There’s more vanilla on the taste towards the bottom of the glass, but the freshness remains. Again, simple, but not in the slightest a disappointment. Definitely makes me want to pay more attention to this distillery and its future releases. The empty glass smells of straight-up fresh oak. The spirit also improved in quality towards the bottom of the glass 😉

WORTH THE PRICE?

Absolutely

RATING: 89/100

Click to see Hannah’s rating process

To access other whiskies with this rating, click 89/100.
Click Dry Fly to read my thoughts on other whiskey from this distillery.

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Hudson Baby Bourbon Review

Brian’s Hudson Baby Bourbon Review:


written 11-October-2019

HUDSON BABY BOURBON REVIEW:

Over the years, while reading various bourbon and whiskey related articles, Hudson Baby Bourbon would occasionally pop up as a bottle to put on one’s bucket list. When fortune shined, I secured a bottle and into the bunker it went. Nearly six months later, after unpeeling the wax seal, I put the dark polished mahogany liquid to the test. Frankly, I don’t get the hype. For me, this is almost not good enough to be “just okay”. At best it was unexpected with a viscous and nice but peppery mouthfeel. But an unusual aftertaste overpowers most typical flavours one finds in a bourbon at the low end of the “premium” price spectrum.

HUDSON BABY BOURBON VITAL STATS:
Hudson Baby Bourbon Review

Region: Gardiner, NY, USA
Distiller: Tuthilltown Spirits
Mashbill: 100% New York Corn
Pot-distilled
Cask: 3 Gallon New-Charred Oak
Barrel Char Level: unpublished
Barrel Entry Proof: unpublished
ABV: 46% (92 proof)
Age: 3 months (from the Tuthilltown Spirits’ website: “The aging/wood to whiskey ratio is much higher than standard whiskey or bourbon.”)
Distillation Year: 2016
Batch: 11
Bottle: 3911
Price: $49.95 USD in Idaho
Availability: Not readily available in all regions of the USA.

Learn more at Hudson Distillery.

ENJOYMENT METHOD:

For the evaluation, I shared this spirit neat from Glencairn glasses with my daughter and fellow Whiskey for the Ages reviewer Hannah.

Check out her review for this bourbon here!

NOSE:

There is an unexpected strong ethanol alcohol aroma when the Glencairn of Hudson Baby Bourbon is brought to the nose. The sensation dissipates quickly into a dusty grain shed of hulled corn. An unusual peppery aroma competes with custardy vanilla simple syrup. The sweetness is almost masked by burnt sugar and hazy light smoke of oak and bitter hazelnuts.

PALATE:

At first sip, the liquid is a bit harsh; a quick bite with a little burn on the tongue then warming as it goes down. More than detected on the nose, its dusty grain and corn gives way to pepper and an added sensation of grated ginger. The mix of liquid, dust and spices create an unusual (and unwelcome) aftertaste which does its best to overwhelm any light traces of vanilla and burnt caramel. What flavours do remain are limited; earthy hazelnuts and burnt oak.

Balance, Body, Feel and Look:
Hudson Baby Bourbon is unbalanced as it tickles with a viscous but peppery mouthfeel. It is quite rough around the edges as it gives the tongue and roof of the mouth a mild burn when swished. In the Glencairn, a smooth layer of whiskey forms a scallopy edgeline, creating thin legs which return quickly into the Auburn and Polished Mahogany upon a good swirling.

FINISH:

This bourbon has a medium finish with a lingering aftertaste of earthy dusty corn. There may be a trace of burnt caramel there as well, but little to no oak remains in the Glencairn when the dram is gone. While I do get a gentle warming, for so much press, Hudson Baby Bourbon is a disappointing juice.

MY RATING: 70/100

Will I seek out this whiskey in the future? No
Click to read Brian’s scoring process.

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